Chicago wraps up their lengthy West Coast road trip on Thursday. Getting back home can’t come soon enough for the Bulls who have been gone for 11 days and have an 0-4 run to show for their ‘vacation.’ Overall the Bulls have dropped 8 in a row which is why they are 13 point underdogs vs. the Nuggets.

Denver is antsy themselves. The Nuggets had a chance to show their legitimacy as Western Conference contenders Tuesday vs. Golden State but ended up getting demolished 142-111. Expect the Nuggets to come out angry at the Pepsi Center in this one.

Chicago Bulls

Chicago knows what it’s like to be whacked by the Warriors, having dropped a 109-146 game to Golden State last Friday. The Bulls looked a bit better vs. the Lakers on Tuesday but ultimately dropped their eight straight game 100-107. On this road trip Chicago also has an 8 point loss to Utah and a 12 point defeat at Portland. Are they just ready for this stretch to be over with?

So what positives can Chicago take out of their recent play? Perhaps Jabari Parker increased his trade value after notching 18 points vs. Los Angeles? Otherwise Chicago “stars” have kind of struggled. Zach Lavine had just 10 points vs. the Lakers on 4-11 shooting.

Lauri Markkanen will also need to step up if Chicago wants to somehow topple Denver. He hasn’t scored more than 17 points in the last five games and has just one contest over 20 in the last 10. Who is Chicago’s other offensive options – Ryan Arcidiacono?

The Bulls can take some positives in seeing how bad Golden State dismantled the Nuggets defense on Tuesday. then again – breaking news – Chicago is no Golden State. The Bulls have broken just 110 points just twice in the last 10 games and rank dead last in scoring at 100.9 ppg.

Making matters worse for the Bulls offense on Thursday is the fact that they’re up against Denver’s top 6 defense in points allowed per game.

Denver Nuggets

So what went wrong for Denver in their matchup with Golden State? It could be that there’s no crisis at all, just that the Nuggets ran into a red hot team that hit 10- three pointers in the first quarter alone. Golden State was 21-39 from long range for the game but the Nuggets still hit over 40% of their threes and had 38 points of their own in the first quarter.

It was also a down night for potential MVP candidate Nikola Jokic who had just 17 points and 8 rebounds. The blowout did allow Jokic to rest as he played just 23 minutes and should be fresh for the Bulls. Jokic had 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists Sunday vs. Portland.

The Nuggets need to put the Golden State game out of their memory ASAP. Denver is still just 0.5 GB in the Western Conference and has gone 7-3 in their last 10. Chicago playing in Mile High altitude after being on the West Coast for close to two weeks isn’t a great recipe. Denver is 18-4 at home this season.

NBA Betting Trends:

Bulls are 1-3-1 ATS their last 5 games overall

Nuggets are 4-9 ATS their last 13 games overall

Nuggets are 9-4 ATS their last 13 home games

Bulls are 1-5 ATS the last 6 meetings in Denver

Bulls are 2-7 ATS the last 9 meetings

Free Chicago Bulls vs. Denver Nuggets NBA Prediction:

It’s pretty much assumed that Denver wins this game – do they cover that massive spread though? Yes Denver is angry after the Warriors loss, but really how motivated are they with contests vs. Chicago and Cleveland upcoming. Denver’s next game after that gauntlet is next Wednesday in Utah meaning they’ve got some time off upcoming. Does that mean the Nuggets go all in though – or stroll through this game?

4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Bulls +12

Denver is going to hover around a 20 point lead at times throughout this game but ultimately Chicago will close the gap in the 4th quarter.

NBA Free Score Prediction: Nuggets 118 – Bulls 110

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About Carl Taylor

Carl “End Game” Taylor has been engulfed in the sports betting lifestyle for over 20 years. His gambling defeats early on could've put triplets through an Ivy League education. The positive is that now from those lessons learned he enjoys a much better windfall than a piece of paper from Brown or Harvard. Stay tuned for Carl's daily sports betting picks and winning advice.

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